Grace White makes a break for JESS at the Rosslyn Park Sevens. Photo: Peter Hall
Grace White makes a break for JESS at the Rosslyn Park Sevens. Photo: Peter Hall
Grace White makes a break for JESS at the Rosslyn Park Sevens. Photo: Peter Hall
Grace White makes a break for JESS at the Rosslyn Park Sevens. Photo: Peter Hall

Historic victory for JESS at Rosslyn Park Sevens puts UAE girls’ rugby on the map


Paul Radley
  • English
  • Arabic

The historic success of Jumeirah English Speaking School girls at the Rosslyn Park National Schools Sevens this week was “huge for sport in the UAE in general”, according to the side’s coach.

The London-based festival, which has been running since 1937, is said to be the largest schools rugby event in the world. There were 1,203 teams involved this week.

JESS became the first international winners in the Under-14 Girls tournament when they beat Oakham School in the final. On route to the title, they beat Dubai English Speaking College in the semi-final.

Bradley Janes, the lead girls rugby coach at JESS, was already well aware of the esteem in which Rosslyn Park is held, having played in the tournament himself in the past.

He said his side did not know what would constitute success ahead of the trip to London, but that they had been quietly confident.

“We see this as a big win, not just for JESS – and of course, it’s huge – but for sport in the UAE in general,” he said. “It shows that we are competing at the top in the world, now.

“I had high aspirations with the team we brought as they are such great players, but to go and actually do it, we are so proud of them.

“They have been working so hard in the lead up to the tournament, before school, with early mornings all through the week.

“Not knowing too much about the competition we just focused on what we could do and working as hard as we possibly can. That has paid off.”

Female sides from the UAE only started competing at Rosslyn Park in 2022 when the Dubai College U18s sent a team.

Within two years, the city has had two girls’ teams reaching the last four of a tournament.

JESS scored 230 points and conceded just 24, with Hind Salam being named player of the tournament.

The identity of their opposition in the final is evidence of the high standard at which they are competing. Oakham counts among its former pupils the former England men's captain Lewis Moody, ex-British & Irish Lion Tom Croft and current Scotland player Hamish Watson.

“Back home we have good competition, and with Dubai College and DESC, we are all pushing each other constantly to get better,” Janes added.

“Coming here you get a perspective of where you are outside of that Dubai bubble. Hearing all those big-name schools, the girls could easily have gone into their shells.

“They did the complete opposite, and performed so well. They stepped up amazingly.”

Charlotte Battiston, the JESS captain, said the side had adapted well to conditions which are entirely alien to them. The weather in London this week has been cloudy, with temperatures topping out in the low mid-teens.

“We felt like we had a good chance of getting through but we never expected to win through that far,” Battiston said.

“The competition is completely different to Dubai and it has been really cool playing in another country.

“In Dubai the ground is always dry and the air is warm, but here it is so much colder. We pushed through it. Our team are all just best mates and it is such a good environment to play in.”

Along with a number of her JESS teammates, Battiston was up against some of her Dubai Hurricanes club colleagues when they faced DESC in the semi-final.

She said they were grateful to them for staying around to support them in the final.

“We were confident going into the game but expected nothing,” she said of the 29-5 win in the last four.

“We went in thinking it was any other game against any other school. It was great that they came back to support us. They are also our friends from outside school, so it was nice to have them.”

Janes hopes the success in London will inspire even more girls to take up rugby.

“As soon as people start seeing what is possible and think, ‘Oh, I actually can do that,’ participation increases,” he said.

“With that, competition increases and competition breeds success. I guess that is the story here at JESS.

“It is great that we have so many numbers playing. Hopefully this is just the start, and more and more kids will take up rugby. This big win will hopefully inspire them to do that.”

The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
MEYDAN%20RACECARD
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About Karol Nawrocki

• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.

• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.

• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.

• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.

SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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Electoral College Victory

Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate. 

 

Popular Vote Tally

The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.

The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request

SPECS
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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if you go

The flights

Emirates have direct flights from Dubai to Glasgow from Dh3,115. Alternatively, if you want to see a bit of Edinburgh first, then you can fly there direct with Etihad from Abu Dhabi.

The hotel

Located in the heart of Mackintosh's Glasgow, the Dakota Deluxe is perhaps the most refined hotel anywhere in the city. Doubles from Dh850

 Events and tours

There are various Mackintosh specific events throughout 2018 – for more details and to see a map of his surviving designs see glasgowmackintosh.com

For walking tours focussing on the Glasgow Style, see the website of the Glasgow School of Art. 

More information

For ideas on planning a trip to Scotland, visit www.visitscotland.com

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THE BIO:

Sabri Razouk, 74

Athlete and fitness trainer 

Married, father of six

Favourite exercise: Bench press

Must-eat weekly meal: Steak with beans, carrots, broccoli, crust and corn

Power drink: A glass of yoghurt

Role model: Any good man

Smart words at Make Smart Cool

Make Smart Cool is not your usual festival. Dubbed “edutainment” by organisers Najahi Events, Make Smart Cool aims to inspire its youthful target audience through a mix of interactive presentation by social media influencers and a concert finale featuring Example with DJ Wire. Here are some of the speakers sharing their inspiration and experiences on the night.
Prince Ea
With his social media videos accumulating more half a billion views, the American motivational speaker is hot on the college circuit in the US, with talks that focus on the many ways to generate passion and motivation when it comes to learning.
Khalid Al Ameri
The Emirati columnist and presenter is much loved by local youth, with writings and presentations about education, entrepreneurship and family balance. His lectures on career and personal development are sought after by the education and business sector.
Ben Ouattara
Born to an Ivorian father and German mother, the Dubai-based fitness instructor and motivational speaker is all about conquering fears and insecurities. His talk focuses on the need to gain emotional and physical fitness when facing life’s challenges. As well managing his film production company, Ouattara is one of the official ambassadors of Dubai Expo2020.

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg result:

Ajax 2-3 Tottenham

Tottenham advance on away goals rule after tie ends 3-3 on aggregate

Final: June 1, Madrid

The biog

Title: General Practitioner with a speciality in cardiology

Previous jobs: Worked in well-known hospitals Jaslok and Breach Candy in Mumbai, India

Education: Medical degree from the Government Medical College in Nagpur

How it all began: opened his first clinic in Ajman in 1993

Family: a 90-year-old mother, wife and two daughters

Remembers a time when medicines from India were purchased per kilo

FIXTURES

All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT)

Tuesday
Mairobr v Liverpool
Spartak Moscow v Sevilla
Feyenoord v Shakhtar Donetsk
Manchester City v Napoli
Monaco v Besiktas
RB Leipzig v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Borussia Dortmund
Real Madrid v Tottenham Hotspur

Wednesday
Benfica v Manchester United
CSKA Moscow v Basel
Bayern Munich v Celtic
Anderlecht v Paris Saint-Germain
Qarabag v Atletico Madrid
Chelsea v Roma
Barcelona v Olympiakos
Juventus v Sporting Lisbon

Company%20profile
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About Takalam

Date started: early 2020

Founders: Khawla Hammad and Inas Abu Shashieh

Based: Abu Dhabi

Sector: HealthTech and wellness

Number of staff: 4

Funding to date: Bootstrapped

HEADLINE HERE
  • I would recommend writing out the text in the body 
  • And then copy into this box
  • It can be as long as you link
  • But I recommend you use the bullet point function (see red square)
  • Or try to keep the word count down
  • Be wary of other embeds lengthy fact boxes could crash into 
  • That's about it
Where to buy

Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com

Roll%20of%20Honour%2C%20men%E2%80%99s%20domestic%20rugby%20season
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Updated: March 22, 2024, 3:43 AM